PR: The Academic Council of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) has awarded Executive Director of the Commission on Scince and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidi, the Al-Farabi Gold medal for his contributions towards facilitating scientific collaboration between COMSATS, KazNU and COMSATS Centres of Excellence.
According to a communiqué issued by the Comsats Secretariat here on Wednesday, the award has been given at the meeting of Comsats Coornidating Council in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where experts from around the world gathered.
Dr. Zaidi was in Almaty as the Secretary to the Coordinating Council which held its 21st annual meeting that is hosted by COMSATS Centre of Excellence in Kazakhstan, Al-Farabi KazNU.
Scientists and academicians from 14 Centres of Excellence of COMSATS belonging to Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Iran, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, and Tunisia, attended the meeting.
International observers including representatives of Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre, Turkey, Edibon International, Spain, and International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Italy, also attended the meeting as observers.
Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (TIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, has become the 22nd Centre of Excellence of COMSATS and second from China, after approval of the Council. The induction of TIB in the Network would add to COMSATS’ wealth of human and technological resources for achieving sustainable development.
The meeting also made important decisions on programmes conducted by Centres of Excellence for South-South and South-North-South triangular cooperation, future plans of the network; International Thematic Research Groups; ongoing programmes of COMSATS including the MS and PhD scholarships, postdoctoral fellowships, telehealth programme, capacity building activities and publication; possibilities of linking programmes with sustainable development goals; and criteria for evaluation of nominated Centres for induction in COMSATS’ Network, as well as the role of Technical Advisory Committee in enhancing collaborations among Centres of Excellence and their up-gradation.